Method of rerolling rails.



No; 629,4I3. Patented July 25, I899. J. E. YORK.

METHOD OF REROLLING RAILS.

(Application filed Mar. 6; 1897-) (No Model.)

UNITE STATES PATE T OFFICE.

JAMES E YORK, on DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

METHOD OF REROLLING RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,413, dated. July25, 1899. Application filedMarch 6,1897. Serial No. 626,225. (Nospecimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LJAMES E. YORK, of Duluth, in the county of St. Louisand State of Minnesota, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Methods of Rerolling Rails, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to a .method of rerolling rails, whereby arailroad-rail of any shape is rerolled and reduced in the head and webportion to a desired standard section without narrowing the flange.

Heretofore it has been customary in the rerolling of rails to subjectall portions of the rail alike to a reducing operation, whichnecessarily reduces the width of the flange. It is very undesirable inpractice to reduce the width of the flange, for the reason that therebythestability of the railisimpaired. In order, however, to reroll a railfrom a larger crosssectional area to a smaller cross-sectional area, itis necessary that the rolling and lengthening of the section should beproportionate to the cubic contents of the section operated upon, sothat it will come out of the roll-passes straight.

In the drawing I have shown part of an apparatus designed to effect theobject of the present invention.

Referring to said drawing, A A represent upper and lower horizontalrolls, respectively, adj ustably mounted on shafts a a. J ourn aled inthe housings B B are vertical rolls 0 O, which are also adj ustablymounted. The rolls A and A are provided, in connection with the twovertical rolls, with two passes D and D, the pass D being aclosed pass,so far as the parts operating upon the head and web are concerned, andthe pass D an open pass-that is, one in which half of the section of thehead and web is formed in each of the rolls;

The operation is as follows: A worn rail'is subjected to the heat ofasuitable furnace until a proper temperature is arrived at, which,preferably, is about a red heat, when it is passed between the rollsthrough the first pass D, the Vertical roll exerting its rolling actionupon the base of the flange without any action tending to narrow theflange. The rail is then run through the pass D, where the finishingprocess takesplace, the action in this pass being similar to that in theaction of pass D. By this means it will be seen that the head and webportion of the rail are subjected to a reducing action in alldirections,

while the flange is only subjected to an action which thins it downwithout any reduction in its width. By this means is produced a railwhich conforms to some standard section smaller than its original size,but having a flange of substantially its original width.

What is claimed as new is The process of rerolling rails, which consistsin subjecting the same to the action of heat, then reducing the sectionin all directions, except laterally across the flange, substantially asspecified.

v In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES E. YORK.

Witnesses:

ERNEST HOPKINSON, ANTHONY GREF.

